Saturday, August 29, 2009

The South Jersey Academy of Teaching and Learning

This is one fantastic resource for teachers. Everything on this website is free.

http://southjerseyacademy.com/

How to Use Data to Create a High Quality Professional Development Plan

1. Create a plan with student achievement strengths and weaknesses in mind.

2. Create a professional learning community…beyond study groups…move towards shared governance

3. Put curriculum mapping in your plan

4. Put backwards designing (understanding by design) in your plan

5. Put alternative assessments in your plan (a variety of assessments creates more accurate data)

6. New Jersey users: Create an Academy for Teaching and Learning for your county

How to Prepare a Districtwide Data Analysis Inservice Day

1. Go to www.nj.gov/education/cccs.

2. Print out the standards for the grade levels & subject areas that each teacher intends to analyze

3. Refer back to Important Data for Analyzing Student Achievement, found on this blog

4. Have teachers gather all available data found on the list from the above blogsite for use with their chosen Core Curriculum Content Standard

5. Repeat this process for each standard that is analyzed:

a. Choose one standard only (e.g., Social Studies - 6.1 - U.S, History: America in the World)

b. Find your Grade level(s) in that standard

c. Find the Content Statements and Cumulative Progress Indicators

d. Cross reference your data to all Content Statements and Cumulative Progress Indicators within your core curriculum content standard

e. Identify the five areas most in need of improvement (minimum)

f. Identify the five areas of greatest strength

g. For those with ASK/HSPA data:
How did the students compare to similar districts?
How did the students compare to the state?
Where do the Cluster Points sections fall into the Core Curriculum Content Standards?
Using the Cluster Point scores, what skills need more/less emphasis next year?

6. Teachers work with and provide feedback to their grade level/subject area peers.

7. Even numbered grade levels: Report your findings to your grade level above yours.

8. Odd numbered grade levels: Report your findings to the grade level above yours.

Analyzing the ASK/HSPA Data

You will need a copy of the standard that you wish to analyze.

Go to http//www.nj.gov/education/cccs/

For most subjects: click the 2009 Standards.

For Math, Language Arts, and all draft standards: Until the new standards are rolled out, click the archives 2004 Standards.

Scroll to the page that has the grade level and standard that you choose to use.

Print that page.

Use the page to cross reference standards and core proficiency indicators with the data that you wish to analyze.

Where to find the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards

http://www.nj.gov/education/cccs/

Using the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards to obtain data

Why are the standards so important?

Secret # 1:
Teaching how to test is a waste of valuable learning time (though often necessary)…
…but teaching to the test is a good thing.

Secret # 2:

Improve student achievement by thinking like the test-makers
ETS & Riverside create the tests by using the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards to guide them.
Therefore, if you teach to the test, you are teaching to the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards
…at least for now…
…the National Standards are coming!

Secret # 3:
Teach (and ANALYZE) to the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards and the test will take care of itself.